Executive Software Sitekeeper 2 review

Hardware and software network inventory utilities have been around for years, but Executive Software claims Sitekeeper is the easiest to use. Aimed at small to medium-sized businesses, this system management product identifies installed hardware and software, as well as offering licence tracking and software deployment. Sitekeeper faces serious competition, as these tools are commonly found in full-blown network management products such as Microsoft's System Management Server or specialist utilities like Vector Networks LANutil32. It offers a comparatively basic toolset, but at a price that will appeal to many smaller businesses.

Executive Software reckons Sitekeeper can be up and running inside an hour - a claim I can endorse. It can either use an existing SQL database to store all reporting and inventory data, or the bundled MSDE (Microsoft data engine) instead. Either way, the setup routine will neatly organise this for you. Windows 9x, ME and XP Home systems require an agent utility to be loaded, which must be installed either locally or from a network share point.

The simple Sitekeeper interface has a list of available networked systems to one side and the various tasks neatly organised in the pane opposite. Inventory can be run on-demand or scheduled for regular intervals and is a swift process that requires minimal resources. The amount of information is reasonable, although not as detailed as LANutil32.

On our four test systems, Sitekeeper identified all the major components, but it would have been useful if it had told us how much free space was available on the hard disks it saw. Unfortunately, this is a drawback of the method used by Sitekeeper, as it only scans each system's Registry and doesn't delve into system resources. Software identification was more impressive - Sitekeeper spotted all our installed applications along with the correct version numbers.

Licence control is probably the weakest member of the team - it's merely a passive reporting service and doesn't monitor real-time usage. All you can do is enter the number of licences for installed applications and run compliance reports to see if you're inside the law. If you want total control over the number of active applications and the ability to block and queue users, check out AttachMate's NetWizard (see Enterprise, issue 82, p230).

PushInstaller deals with software deployment and allows logo- or Microsoft Installer-compliant applications and updates to be remotely installed or removed from selected systems. From the simple Wizard-based routine, you may select domains, workgroups or individual systems and point to a shared directory where the setup or MSI files are stored. The task can be run immediately or scheduled for a specific time, and if it hangs for any reason you're able to set a date and time when it is to be terminated.

Compared with some network management products, Sitekeeper's minimal feature set makes it a lightweight. However, for the price, you get a good combination of hardware and software inventory and, although the licence tracker can't enforce compliance, it's a valuable reporting tool.

Author: Dave Mitchell